


Rewind

by AstroOrbit



Category: Katana ZERO (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Eventual Romance, F/M, Little girl gets a name!, Name ideas are appreciated, Probably going to be something cute, Time Manipulation, Time Travel, alternative universe, i'm not good at writing romance sorry, probably a slow burn, wow tags are hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-01-30 22:07:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21435451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstroOrbit/pseuds/AstroOrbit
Summary: You've been going insane... You've got to be going insane, time doesn't just repeat itself... does it?It started off with small things, then slowly grew larger and larger until you felt as though you were losing your mind. Your friends and coworkers had begun to worry that you were spiraling.Today was the 28th of October.Why is tomorrow the 25th?
Relationships: Zero/Reader(Katana Zero)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 42





	1. 28th or 25th?

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in an AU where Zero instead of having precognitive abilities, has the ability to travel back in time instead. The reader seems to be the only person that remembers anything... at least aside from Zero. I'm likely going to make Zero more cooperative and likely more sociopathic instead of psychopathic? Uses others for his own gain... Idk
> 
> Also, first time writing something so this likely is going to suck. I ain't reading it just yet so I'll go through it before posting the next chapter and clean it up a tad :) comments are appreciated! It would definitely make me quicker to update the story.

You were going insane.

It had to be the reason for everything that’s happening. Your mind was dying and with it your perception of reality. That was it. That was what was going on.

It had started with small things.

Feeling as though you had gotten up from your seat only a second ago to find a book only to find yourself sitting in the exact same position.

It was only a small nagging feeling at the back of your head.

Then it began to grow stronger, larger things started becoming affected.

Which was where you were right now.

You had repeated the same hour fifty times.

Fifty times.

Fifty hours.

And for the 51st time, you found yourself laying in your bed, looking at the same fucking clock that read the same fucking time.

3:00 am

All you wanted to do was sleep, you were so tired.

Maybe you could end it all.

Maybe there was a way.

Pushing your fatigued body out of bed, you stumbled towards the shitty door which creaked loudly as you pushed it open.

Your living room was hardly any better.

A simple couch, two bookshelves full of books, a radio and tv, as well as a sleeping dog were the only things in the room.

Entering the kitchen, you stumbled toward the knife drawer.

This could be the end.

Axel, once asleep, came trotting into the kitchen whining anxiously as if knowing what you were going to do.

Stopping for a moment, one question slithered into your mind.

Did you want to do this?

Did you want to live through the same hour once more?

No.

No.

Not again.

With two quick slices blood flowed freely from the fresh wounds.

Blood loss was quick to take hold as you fell to the ground, Axel yelping helplessly as he ran over and began frantically licking at your face.

Black splotches filled your vision…

The sound of an alarm going off awoke you, your eyes snap open as you sat upright, frantically looking left and right before your gaze landed on your wrist.

There were no scars, not cuts, nothing to signal it had ever happened… Had it all just been a bad nightmare?

Grabbing at your crappy cellphone you turned it on, the time was 10:30 am… October 25th?

You could have sworn it had been the 28th…

“Hey!” A yelp escaped your lips as Axel jumped up on your bed and began licking your face in his normal morning routine.

“Yeah, I’ll get your food in a moment.” With a sigh and a shove to get Axel off you, you were walking towards the kitchen. A sinking feeling was dragging your gut down, you had slit your wrist in the nightmare, it was so vivid.

Was it even a nightmare?

“It doesn’t have to be if I’m insane.” You hummed to yourself, Axel letting out a quiet yip as if questioning you.

“Nothing! Here sweetheart eat up.” Setting the food down, you walked back into your bedroom, stopping when you passed the large mirror that was set up right beside your dresser.

Your hair was a mess, you had dark bags under your eyes, and a rather noticeable eye twitch had set in from sleep deprivation.

Tonight, you were going to confront those noisy upstairs neighbors, their music had been keeping you up recently.

Maybe it’ll save you from dropping dead from sleep deprivation. 

Throwing on some clothes strewn about, you grabbed your purse and slipped your comfortable shoes on.

“I’ll be back later, don’t destroy the place.” You chirped with a grin as you exited the bedroom and walked over to the front door, slipping out through the door.

“Those are some weird dreams, (y/n). Have you considered going to a therapist or something?” Your friend Aputa questioned curiously. 

Aputa was a middle-aged woman who ran the bakery that you worked at. She was curvy with some weight on her, as well as on the shorter side. 

“I could recommend you a good one, he’s helped a lot since Hareph’s passing.” She added with a tired smile as she put a fresh tray of cookies on the display rack. 

“It’s not like I have trauma or something… I don’t think I have depression? Insomnia maybe, but that’s because I like watching late night tv… How’s Yaakov?” You asked, not looking up from the cake you were decorating. 

“He’s… Well, he’s dealing with it pretty badly. He’s constantly asking where daddy is and it breaks my heart. He’s just a baby after all… He wouldn’t understand.” Aputa replied sadly as she maneuvered around you to grab some ingredients for a new batch of cookies.

“Have your neighbors been treating you any better?” She asked curiously as she began to mix the ingredients together, Max who manned the counter could be heard talking rather loudly to a customer. 

“No, their music has been as loud as ever… I’m going to confront them tonight.” You responded with a huff as you finished icing the cake, carefully putting it into the pickup box before bringing it over to Max.

“Stop your yapping and get this over to Kelly.” You joked.

“Yeah, yeah… All I hear back there is yapping.” Max replied as he carefully took the box.

“Just be careful, maybe take a knife with you. People in the third district aren’t exactly the kindest.” Aputa spoke loudly her tone that of worry. 

You left work late that night, much later than you normally did. It was likely due to that huge order that came in just before closing, you were just glad you were getting extra money for that.

What you were not happy about was the loud booming music of your upstairs neighbors. 

Instead of heading straight to your apartment, you instead went to the floor above ready to verbally beat someone down. 

The music was loud and seemed to come from everywhere, making it hard to figure out which door was the one that belonged to the assholes. 

Eventually, after some pondering, you decided that it sounded the loudest from the middle door. 

Knocking hard and angrily at the door, you stood straight trying to look as intimidating as possible.

No one answered.

You knocked again.

Finally, a man opened the door. 

He was a good few inches taller than you, had tan skin, jet black hair, and wore a… bathrobe? Had you caught him after a shower?

He was handsome, but his music was annoying. 

“Can you turn your music down?! You're causing me to get no sleep, and I doubt the neighbors like you any better than I do! Do you know how rude it is?!” It felt good to get that all off your chest, you’ve been wanting to say that for some time. 

The man only stared at you, raising his eyebrow. This only served to anger you more, your cheeks becoming slightly red as you took in a deep breath ready to start yelling at him.

“The music isn’t mine. It’s the people in the apartment next to mine.” The man spoke as he pointed to the door right of him. He sounded almost amused.

You could almost feel your soul leave your body as your eyes widened in shock, your face going bright red as you opened your mouth struggling to find something to say.

“I’m sorry!” You sputtered out, feeling as though you were going to die from embarrassment.

“I… I’ll be going now, sorry for disturbing you.” 

“It’s alright.” The man replied before shutting the door.

Walking down the stairs to your floor you entered your apartment tired, drained, and feeling like your face was on fire.

Why did you have to do that?


	2. Something New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably a load of shit, but eh I think this is the formating I'm sticking to. Reader's perspective then Zeros. Will proofread before the posting of the next chapter.

He had fucked up again.

And again…

And one more time just to throw salt in the already deep and bleeding wounds.

How many times has he rewound time only to have to do it again? 

It was like a never-ending cycle. 

A very painful, very annoying cycle. 

Once more he found himself in a dimly lit hallway, his phone ringing…

He was still pissed at the psychiatrist, even though he knew that lashing out at him would only cause his supply of Chronos to be prematurely cut, he still felt like being petty. The doctors uses only ran so long.

Picking up the phone he let the doctor say a word and then… click! He hung up on him. 

And again,

And again…

And…

“This is not the time for games, dammit! Listen closely.” Zero did everything but that, just answering when prompted to appease the ticked off psychiatrist.

Getting to the doctor was easy, what was hard was trying to control his urge to cut the targets head off to prevent V from getting the pleasure of blowing it off… 

“I was starting to think I wouldn’t make it.” Dawoud Bay wheezed, clutching at his side as his body shook with pain.

It was pathetic really.

Maybe… 

With a quick flick of his sword, the scientist's head was chopped off, the body dropping to the ground lifeless. 

He hadn’t done this before. Not like they’d be able to tell, V would try to blow the guys head off, but without a head, it’d just mangle the neck. 

Just to play it safe, Zero placed the head right near the color. If they were to check the cut of the neck then it’d match up to an explosion, not the clean-cut of a sword. 

Walking down the hallway, the device exploded as it had countless times before.

This was nothing new, it was boring, repetitive. 

The only reason he was doing this was to try and save the child. Every path he took, every road he traveled, had so far lead to the same outcome.

Her missing, and him rewinding time once more in hopes of something different happening next time. 

It was late when he arrived back home, the booming noise of his neighbor’s music causing him to cringe. His ears were sensitive, it was how he could predict things so accurately… aside from rewinding the time that is.

Entering into his apartment he gently closed the door, not feeling like hurting his ears in hopes that maybe the sound of a slamming door would bother the neighbors… If they could even hear it that is.

How they haven’t gone deaf from their own music was beyond him… Actually, maybe that’s why they play it so damn loud. 

Zero set his Katana up against the wall, wandering over to the Livingroom to turn on the tv. He enjoyed listening to the reports. To see the horror or grim looks on the faces of the reporters. It reminded him of what he 

“…At least twelve have been reported dead or injured at an abandoned factory in the 3rd district.” 

They were all dead. 

He left no survivors.

Ambling into the kitchen, Zero grabbed out a packet of tea and a microwavable mug, filling the mug to the brim with water before sticking it into the microwave to heat it. 

Grabbing the mug out he made sure to be careful as to not burn himself like he had the past fifty times. He didn’t mind stab wounds, but burns weren’t his favorite thing to deal with.

As he was about to set it on the counter a sudden knock from the door caused him to nearly spill the hot water.

Looking up, Zero narrowed his eyes. When he heard nothing, he went back to making his tea. No one had bothered him in the past hundred rewinds, this one was no different. His mind was just creating things… Or he didn’t have enough Chronos.

Then he heard a knocking again.

His body tensed up as he stared at the door, unsure now if it was his mind playing tricks or someone was actually there.

Not waiting for another knock, he hesitantly walked over to the door, ready to open it and find no one there.

That wasn’t what he got.

A woman that came up to around his chest was staring up at him with a burning hatred in her eyes. If he wasn’t a killer, he would surely be a bit unnerved by this. This only intrigued him. 

She had hair that was (h/c) and (s/k) skin. She was wearing a shirt that read Bang Bang Bakery… He had heard of that place; it was a relatively well-known bakery in the 3rd district. The word around the street was that their cupcakes and cakes were the best in the whole district.

“Can you turn your music down?! You're causing me to get no sleep, and I doubt the neighbors like you any better than I do! Do you know how rude it is?!” The woman shouted angrily, though seemingly looking a lot smugger and more relieved than a moment ago. 

Zero quirked an eyebrow at her. This was new. Just as she was about ready to explode, he spoke up.

“The music isn’t mine. It’s the people in the apartment next to mine.” He spoke with a lopsided grin, leaning on the doorframe ready to watch the show that was her facial expressions.

After a myriad of facial expressions passed over her face, the woman finally sputtered out an apology, her face going bright red. 

“I… I’ll be going now, sorry for disturbing you.”

“It’s alright.” 

Instead of watching her walk away, Zero closed the door and walked over to his now ready tea. 

His mind was trying to understand what had just happened.

In the countless times that he has rewound time, this had never happened before. Never has he ever seen her, never has he crossed paths with her, and he sure as hell didn’t know she existed up until just now. 

As he drank the herbal tea, he could feel his chest fluttering with… Was this excitement? 

If it was it had been so long since he’d last felt it. 

Finally,

Something new.


	3. Cupcakes

The muffled voices coming from the TV and the rumbling of distant thunder was what you awoke to. The embarrassment of last night still fresh in your mind causing your face to heat up as a groan escaped your lips. 

Having passed out on the couch, your back was already protesting with the muscles feeling stiff and achy. You hadn’t meant to sleep on it, you just… dropped? Apparently, you were a whole lot more tired than you thought. 

Pushing yourself upright, you stretched feeling your joints pop and crack. If there was one thing about a stiff back, it was how satisfying it was to hear the cracking. It was why you cracked your knuckles so often. 

For once in at least a couple of days, you felt peaceful. The rumbling of thunder nearly lulling you back to sleep as the voices from the TV swirled together. That was until anxiety took hold as your panic pierced you like a bullet. 

Scrambling to your phone, which had become a bad habit ever since those nightmares started, you checked the time, heart racing.

October 26th 9: 00 am.

Tension quickly left your body as you felt it relax, a sigh of relief escaped your lips. While something at the back of your mind was telling you today should’ve been the 30th and yesterday should’ve been the 29th, you were glad to at least see that time was moving forward. 

The anxiety that these nightmares brought on was becoming hard to ignore. You tried to push them off as nightmares, however, there was this overwhelming feeling of something not being right which made you want to curl up into a ball and wither away. 

You were spiralling again…

That was until your phone started buzzing in your hands, nearly causing you to drop it. Looking down at the receiver Aputa’s name was flashing on the screen. You were quick to answer worried that something had happened. She rarely called you this early. 

“Hey sweetheart, the shop is closed for the day. Yaakov has a stomach bug and I don’t want anyone else catching it… You’ve been wanting to go to that new clothing shop that opened up, why don’t you get yourself something nice to wear and a date?” Aputa teased, she sounded exhausted, not that you could blame her, being a single parent to a 3-year-old was hard. 

“You know me! My date is the couch, some fuzzy PJs, a movie, and a whole lot of junk food.” You snickered, your panic waning. Getting up off the couch you wandered to the kitchen, Axel surprisingly not up yet, however you knew he’d wake up as soon as he heard the clinking of food into an empty bowl. 

“Try to eat something of higher quality, not just the microwavable shiiiiip- Hi honey, do you need anything?”

Letting out a laugh at Aputa’s near slip-up you poured the dog kibble into the bowl and sure enough, Axel came running into the kitchen his tail wagging. 

“I don’t think I have any microwavable ships,” You joked with a wide grin, setting the food bowl down as you went to leaning against the counter, watching Axel as he scarfed down his food. 

“Very funny… Oh! Did you confront your neighbours?” Aputa questioned curiously, pulling the phone away from her ear for a moment to respond to something Yaakov asked. 

Another hot flash of embarrassment shot through you… Oh, how you wanted to melt into the shadows. 

“I went to…” You began, your face scrunching up as you pushed yourself off the counter and walked over to the food closet.

“Oh?”

“I ended up knocking on the wrong door and bothering a different guy… I wanted to die.” 

“I mean, he got a nice treat. A mysterious lady showing up at his door all hot and bothered?” Aputa joked with a snort only for a groan to leave her lips, “Hey I gotta go, Yaakov’s throwing up again. I’ll call you later.”

“Alright, I’ll see you soon hopefully. Tell Yaakov I said hello and that I wish him well, maybe I’ll drop a present off for him too.” Not giving Aputa a chance to protest against your gift you hung up, setting the phone down on the counter your gaze landing back on the food closet.

Pulling the door open you let out a sigh of defeat as another wave of embarrassment crashed over you. Staring blankly at the food, you noticed your shelves were looking a bit bare. You’d need to go grocery shopping soon… 

As your eyes hopped from object to object your gaze stopped on the large bag of flour you had… Maybe you could make cupcakes for the guy? Maybe your brain would let it go if you did?

You doubted it, your brain never let anything embarrassing go… At the very least you wouldn’t feel so bad for disturbing him and being just as bad as the other neighbours, even if you weren’t. Apologizing with cupcakes would cheer anyone up, right? At least it’d cheer you up. You could only hope that if he was upset the present would smooth things over. You’d rather not make enemies with your other (not annoying) neighbours. 

With your mind made up, you grabbed the ingredients needed and got to work, forgetting about your breakfast as you focused on baking the cupcakes. Dancing to the music which played from your headphones (unlike your upstairs neighbours you didn’t like to disturb others) when all was said and done it took two hours to bake… The extra time having been from a batch that came out not the way you wanted. 

Staring at the cupcakes with pride, you wiped your flour-covered hands on your apron before scampering off to your bedroom to change into something not splattered with ingredients. You had to give him a better impression than you had last night… You likely looked like such a mess.

Grumbling to yourself about your stupidity, you chose a comfy pair of leggings that were not covered in dog hair (How Axel managed to get into your closet you never could find out) as well as a t-shirt that hadn’t been hit. 

Stumbling into the kitchen as you pull your shoes on, you grabbed the container, Axel watching you from the couch, if dogs could talk, he’d likely be questioning on how you were still alive with how you always seemed all over the place. 

“I’ll be back soon,” You called out before exiting the apartment. Making your way up the stairs and unlike last night this was for a different reason.

Why couldn’t the neighbours blast their music during the day anyway? Was there some unspoken rule of parties only being held at night? With how the district was full of criminals, drug addicts, and many other unsavoury types it wasn’t like they’d have the cops called on them so quickly. 

‘sides with how high they likely were, did they really need music? Couldn’t they just jump off a roof… It wasn’t like anyone was going to miss them, except the hookers they paid for, and even then, they’d be quickly forgotten as newer clients came along. 

You still were peeved about being awoken at 2 am to a hooker banging on your door. 

So up in your thoughts, you almost hadn’t noticed making it to the door. With a shake of your head to get your head cleared of any thoughts you raised your hand and knocked on the door, unable to stop your hand from shaking in nervousness.

When he didn’t answer right away feelings of stupidity and doubt began to creep up your spine. What if he was asleep and you had just awoken him? What if he was allergic to gluten? What if he didn’t want to see you? What if-

“Hello?” The man’s deep voice broke you from your thoughts as you let out a little squeak of surprised, having been so engulfed in them that you hadn’t heard him open the door. 

“I!” You gasped out, however quickly recovered, “I made some cupcakes. I wanted to say sorry for disturbing you last night. I didn’t mean to yell at you, it was all just a silly misunderstanding.” You rambled nervously, as you rambled you were quick to take notice of his bathrobe. Had you caught him after a shower again too? 

“Oh?” The man sounded surprised; his emotionless expression turned to that of shock. He leaned outside the door slightly looking around the hallway before his gaze returned back on you.

“I’m really sorry, if I’ve caught you at a bad time, I’ll just leave these here.” You rambled once more a nervous laugh leaving you. You felt as small and pathetic as a bug.

“You can come in…” The man offered as he stepped aside, his actions showing hesitance, however, you weren’t keen enough to pick up on that. 

“Ah! Thank you,” You perked up as you stepped inside, the man shutting the door behind you. Maybe it was stupid, walking into someone’s apartment that you didn’t know, especially in a seedy part of town, but hey he was your neighbour and might as well try to make some friends in your apartment complex.

The first thing you noticed was how… Well, dirty the apartment was. You didn’t consider yourself a tidy person, in fact, Aputa would always complain and tidy up for you whenever she came over, but damn did this guy take it to another level. If there was a crown for the messiest apartment, he’d easily take the throne. 

Trash was everywhere, soda cans littered the floor, pizza boxes that you could only hope were empty were piled sky high, overall, the apartment was dirty. It took everything in you to not start picking things up and cleaning up a bit. You couldn’t even begin to imagine living in this kind of filth. 

Setting the container of cupcakes down on the counter, which had only a bit of space that wasn’t covered in soda cans, you turned around to face the man, taking note of the sheathed katana that rested at his side… Had you not noticed that when you first walked in? 

The guy reminded you of those characters from those anime’s you watched. Although maybe you should’ve brought a weapon of your own just in case he was one of those weirdos… Oh god, did you just walk into a lion’s den, was he going to kill you or rape you? There had been all those murders talked about on TV…

“My names, (y/n). I live in one of the apartments downstairs. I really am sorry I bothered you last night.” You spoke as clearly and confidently as you could muster, still sputtering slightly as your gaze flickered around. So many places to hide a corpse…

“That’s alright, no harm done. You can call me Zero.” Zero chose his words carefully, his gaze trained on you as he walked over only breaking away to look at the container of cupcakes. 

“Would you like anything to drink?” He offered. He sounded rather uncomfortable… Awkward, as though he didn’t do this often. Maybe he was a hermit? Not like you were one to judge, you’d gladly hide away in your apartment and just play video games and watch anime for days on end if you could. 

“No, I’m good… You have… A very nice apartment.” You found yourself stumbling to try and say something nice to break the awkwardness, and yet it had to be about something that stuck out like a sore thumb. 

“I don’t have time to clean very often.” Zero replied, not too phased by the comment as he intently watched your movements.

“Ya’know I wouldn’t mind helping you out a bit, I clean up apartments as a side job,” That was a massive lie, honestly this place was just triggering your OCD so badly that it made your skin crawl and feel itchy. Realizing that you had likely been a bit rude you felt like wanting to curl in on yourself. Strike two!

Zero froze for a moment, examining you as you fiddled nervously with your shirt hem. 

“Sure.”

You almost jumped out of fright when he finally broke the awkward silence, however, your expression turned to that of shock as you almost felt your heart beating out of your chest. On one hand, you were ecstatic to scratch that itch and turn this dump into… well not such a dump, and on the other, you were ready to dig yourself into a hole. 

Yes, you loved cleaning up people’s things, a whole lot more than your own place, actually, but this seemed like a massive undertaking… 

“Here, this is my number. Text me with the details so we can set up a date. Set a price you see fit, this place is a shit hole, needs a really good clean.” Zero was talking, he sounded a little more relaxed, almost excited? That was odd.

“Oh! Yeah sure, I’ll text you tonight with the details and all that.” You replied with a grin, “Well, I better get out of your hair. I hope you like the cupcakes. I hope to see you again soon.”

Zero merely grunted in response as he saw you out. Once he had shut the door you could feel the tension leave you only for one thought to pop into your head.

What did you get yourself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow! I actually updated this thing.
> 
> Sorry guys for the hideously long wait. I've been dealing with mental health issues for a really long time, buuut! now that I have issues under control I can actually start fucking writing again! :D Honestly I can see our deer main character as being autistic? Then again as an autist myself I probably just overanalyze stuff like that. As for the OCD comments, these are my experiences and while they don't reflect everyone's these apply to me and are thus what I write about.
> 
> Oh god everyone is so out of character shoot me now.
> 
> Well fuck me, I love ya guys and thanks for reading and I'm sorry for taking so longgggg


	4. It Returns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh this chapter sucks asssss Sorry for all the waiting, but at this point, it's to be expected of me. I'm a lazy little shit LMAO

Thunder was what Zero awoke to. It shook his shitty apartment building and lightning lit up the sky, waking him up enough to not let him get back to sleep. He didn’t mind rainy days, in fact, he enjoyed them, however, he had been hoping to sleep in a while longer. His nights were long and day missions were even longer.

With a grunt, he pushed himself off the couch, body aching from the strain of the mission. Stumbling around his darkened apartment, too lazy to turn on the lights, he bumped into things and knocked down others as he made his way to the bathroom.

Turning to stare at himself through the dirty mirror he could only squint at his reflection. He felt as though he was ready to doze off once more, and yet at the same time he felt wide awake. The slight head bob he was doing only irritated him further, either this was a side effect of the Chronos, or his body truly hated him. 

His hair was an unruly mess of tangles. For once in his life, after he had gotten home from the mission, he had changed out of his robe and into a tank top and sweat pants. His tank top was hitched up a bit, allowing him to see a bit of his toned stomach and a few of the scars that littered it. 

Scars that he often had a hard time remembering at times. The Chronos only did so much, and with his mental state already being fucked up it only made remembering things worse… Less important things anyways. 

His mind wandered to the mission he had been sent on earlier, more specifically the target. 

Josh Rose.

A name he has read and hear over and over. 

A target whose calm demeanour both infuriates and calms him… How many times has he jumped and how many times has Josh been killed by Zero? He had lost count many resets ago. He had lost count of many things in the resets, although Josh was someone who at least held some interest. 

He was able to just faintly remember some of their meetings. And if he wasn’t fated to kill himself, or be killed, then the two of them would likely be sitting down for a cup of tea and a pleasant talk. He was someone who was apart of NULL after all. 

Letting out a sigh of defeat, he grabbed his hairbrush and began brushing out the knots. Pain… Pain was a reminder that he was alive, that he was still tethered to a reality and that he wasn’t floating off into somewhere… Anywhere… He just had a feeling that something was out there. His mind was becoming a jumble of indiscernible thoughts. 

He felt his vision blur slightly, setting the brush down he flung some water on his face to break him from his spiralling thoughts. Once he had reorientated himself, he left the bathroom, finally turning the light on as he stripped and began to put his robe back on.

That was when he heard a knock on his door. It was enough to intrigue him, memories of last night flooding his brain. Had she come back? Or had she been the thing that finally diverted him to another path in the timelines? 

Not wanting to risk whomever knocked to leave, he quickly finished putting his robe back on and bolted to the door, taking a deep breath before opening the door, “Hello?” Looking down he felt his body flood with excitement.

It was her. 

She was back.

She seemed nervous, “I made some cupcakes. I wanted to say sorry for disturbing you last night. I didn’t mean to yell at you, it was all just a silly misunderstanding.” It was then that he noticed the container of cupcakes that were clutched protectively to her chest. He had been too caught up in staring at her face to have noticed.

“Oh?” He was surprised, he hadn’t expected her to come back, let alone bring him some cupcakes… They looked good and served as a reminder that he hadn’t eaten anything that day. He was practically drooling at the sight of them. 

“I’m really sorry, if I’ve caught you at a bad time, I’ll just leave these here.” She was rambling, it was cute. 

He didn’t want her to leave so quickly, he wanted to keep the new toy near him a little longer. He wanted to be greedy, although at the same time he was hesitant and unsure of what to do. He found himself speaking without thinking, “You can come in…” He stepped aside to let the lady inside. 

“Ah! Thank you,” She looked like a dog who had just been given a bone by it master. 

Watching her as she looked around for a place to set the container on it made him realize how much of a dump his place was, he cringed slightly. Had he known he’d have company sooner than meeting the little girl, he would’ve made an effort to clean up a bit. 

“My names, (y/n). I live in one of the apartments downstairs. I really am sorry I bothered you last night.” He was more than glad that she bothered him. He wouldn’t go blurting it out, but she had broken up the never-changing cycle that was his life. This… (y/) person, they had gone and given a new spark. A newfound feeling of hope.

“That’s alright, no harm done. You can call me Zero.” Zero chose his words carefully, not wanting to show how excited he was. He was going to play this cool, treat her like everyone else. He didn’t want her to become a target. He knew that they watched him, he knew they lurked in the shadows. He wasn’t going to let his new toy become the victim of something they wanted to use against him.

His gaze was trained on her, approaching and only breaking his stare to look at the container of cupcakes once more. They looked yummy, and it was taking everything in him not to open it and shove one into his mouth. 

“Would you like anything to drink?” He finally spoke, feeling a bit awkward. He didn’t interact with people much… Well, anyone that he didn’t know exactly what to say or exactly what to do to goad this or that reaction from them. 

“No, I’m good… You have… A very nice apartment.” That was a reaction he had expected, out of all the unknowns that was the only certainty he could see. His apartment was a mess and had she not reacted to it, he’d have found that interesting.

“I don’t have time to clean very often.” That wasn’t exactly a lie. Most of the time he was either sleeping or out. The only time he made certain to clean it up was right before meeting her… The child that made him feel human. That made him feel less like a monster. 

“Ya’know I wouldn’t mind helping you out a bit, I clean up apartments as a side job,” He froze, not sure what to do at first. Skimming through his thoughts, one stuck out. He wanted to keep interacting with her, keep seeing what she could change about this timeline.

“Sure.” He shrugged trying to act as nonchalant as possible, but he knew that some of his excitement was visible despite trying his hardest not to let it be, “Here, this is my number. Text me with the details so we can set up a date. Set a price you see fit, this place is a shit hole, needs a really good clean.” 

“Oh! Yeah sure, I’ll text you tonight with the details and all that.” Her grin was pretty, she seemed like a ray of sunshine in this unending darkness, “Well, I better get out of your hair. I hope you like the cupcakes. I hope to see you again soon.”

Not sure what to say, he just grunted in response, showing her out the door and closing it gently behind her. 

Taking a few steps back, he noticed that he couldn’t slow his racing heart or get rid of the giddy feeling. He didn’t want to, and as he strode over to his now cold tea, gazing at the cupcakes, he knew that he wasn’t going to let go of her anytime soon.

Reaching over and opening the container of cupcakes, he grabbed one and took a bite.

Damn these were good cupcakes.


End file.
